1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool changer, and more particularly to a tool changer for a machine tool including an improved structure for decreasing the weight of the tool changer and the machine tool and for allowing the tool changer to be easily rotated or driven by the motor driving device, and also for reducing the manufacturing cost for the machine tool, and also for allowing the tool changer to be easily and quickly formed and manufactured and to be easily and quickly assembled together.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical machine tools, particularly the programmable machine tools comprise a tool member rotated or driven by a motor driving device for machining various work pieces, and one or more disc magazines rotatably secured or disposed on a supporting base and having a number of notches formed in the peripheral portions of the disc magazines for supporting a number of spare tool members. The peripheral portions of the disc magazines comprise a number of ribs or flanges extended inward of the notches for engaging with the annular grooves of the tool members and for securing the tool members in place.
One of such typical tool changers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,840 to Xiao, the present inventor, and comprise a disc magazine having a number of openings opened radially outward from the outer peripheral portion of the disc magazine for supporting a number of spare tool members, and a number of retainers and spring members attached to the disc magazine and engaged with the spare tool members for supporting and retaining the spare tool members to the disc magazine.
However, the disc magazine is made of an integral cast material and includes a great weight that may not be easily operated or rotated or driven by the motor driving device, or the motor driving device may spend or consume a great electric power or energy to operate or rotate or drive the tool members and the disc magazine.
In addition, the sizes or diameters of the openings formed in the outer peripheral portion of the disc magazine are predetermined or include the predetermined inner diameter which may not be changed or adjusted for receiving the tool members of different sizes or shapes or diameters.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional tool changers for the machine tools.